Research published in 2025 analysed 609 million searches across 113 retail websites during the previous peak quarter.
Nearly one in four visitors used site search and contributed anywhere from 44% to 61% of total online revenue. And those who used search converted 2.5 times the rate of shoppers who did not search.
Those figures do not show how much more revenue these retailers could generate by improving their search experiences.
Yet April 2026 research found 56% of benchmarked sites failed to adequately support shoppers’ search needs, providing poor site search experiences.
With peak trade approaching, retailers can make practical improvements using the systems they already have.
There are many ways to unpack and diagnose site search issues, and a “site search experience” is more than just shoving a search box in the header. A proven diagnostic process comprising customer behaviour data analysis combined with my published best practices and 25 years of experience finds the answers every time.
I have led over 100 site search enhancement projects and have found impactful low hanging fruit every time, delivering conversion rates between 5% to 10% with relatively basic search systems.
We are now in “peak trade” mode so it’s time to stop paying attention to the shiny buzzy new toys and nail the basics.
Site search experiences are digital retail table stakes.
This article was as tagged as Best Practice , eCommerce Consulting , UX Design